Louise said each song will be markedly different from the one before it, but they all complete the bigger picture and help answer the question of who she is — in all of her facets.

Capital District pop artist, Katie Louise, is releasing her first EP, celebrating with a no-holds-barred show at Jupiter Hall. Louise, 21, will release Unleash today, Friday, March 15. The seven-song EP will show its feathers later that night. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. and feature other local artists like Justin Charles, Nick Rossi and the Broken View. Tickets range from $15 to $20 and can be purchased at ticketfly.com. Jupiter Hall is located at 1 Crossgates Mall Road, inside Lucky Strike Social Club.

For Louise, this is an album of baggage. It’s also an album of redemption, empowerment and validation. The young star started as a classically trained pianist; she was on the fast-track to professional stardom at just 14 years old.

“I always had this talent for piano and in a lot of ways, I was just pushed into following that skill until the end,” she said. “I had written ‘Imprisoned in Paradise’ and realized I had the ability to write music. However, when I wrote ‘Broken,’ I realized this was something I really needed to pursue.”

Katie Louise faced some adversity from those around her, particularly from those who were in the classical music circuit. As she transitioned into pop, she had to dig down to find the empowerment to keep going.

“This EP is so incredibly vulnerable and real for me because I really open myself up in my songwriting,” she said. “I’ve always been blessed to be able to open up relatively easy, but I’ve been through a lot of pain in my childhood and this not only helped me express it, but helped me let some of it go.”

Fans can expect a mixture of sounds. The two singles she has already released, “Imprisoned in Paradise” and “You Can’t Talk To A Woman Like That,” are drastically different — “Paradise” is more of a ballad with dreamy accompaniment, where Woman has a kick in its step. Louise said each song will be markedly different from the one before it, but they all complete the bigger picture and help answer the question of who she is — in all of her facets. All songs are written organically, with Louise finding inspiration in things she says or what she sees around her.

She hasn’t completely abandoned her roots. Louise is excited about the piano solo on “Unleash,” the namesake of the EP.

“It’s like I’ve blended my two biggest passions now and am able to draw from what inspires me in both,” she explained. “I’m confident that I can do this. I’m nervous, excited, stressed and overwhelmed.”

This article was originally published by The Spot 518, is property of Spotlight Newspapers in Albany, N.Y., and appears as a special to NYSMusic. TheSpot518 and NYSMusic work in partnership to provide readers with in-depth coverage on the local music scene in the Capital District and New York state, respectively. For more, visit TheSpot518.com.

Michael is a freelance journalist by trade, and a financial representative by profession. His reporting has covered a wide variety of topics including album reviews, sports, local history, climate change and Internet security. He has earned bylines with The Harlem Valley Times, The Spotlight, The Colonie Sports Tracker, 8Ball Music and Upstate Metal.